The Roselyn Pelle Command of the New People's Army has
disputed military and police claims that what they had raided and overran were
bunkhouses of agrarian reform beneficiaries in Sitio Buntod Aliwanay, Brgy.
General Luna, Sagay
City
In a statement furnished to the Visayan DAILY STAR, rebel
spokesperson Cecil Estrella, said the raid against the “SCAA detachment” on May
22 led to the killing of Jose Pios and Dionesio Ybanez, who, she claimed, were
SCAA members, and injuries to Jovito Lutrago and Boboy Respundo.
Estrella said they also burned several bunk houses and
recovered 18 firearms, including M-16 and M-14 rifles, a M-79 grenade launcher,
Ingram sub-machine gun, .45 caliber pistols, 357 revolver and several homemade
guns, as well as assorted ammunition, military uniforms, personal belongings,
among others.
She claimed that they received numerous complaints from the
populace against the presence of SCAA detachment, with personnel allegedly
being used as armed goons, and guards of a private property owner in the place.
Senior Supt. William Señoron, provincial police director of
Negros Occidental, yesterday maintained that Pios and Ybanez are agrarian
reform beneficiaries, who used to be SCAA members.
Contrary to the rebel claims, Señoron said only four
firearms, including an M-16 rifle, a carbine rifle and two .45 caliber pistols,
were taken by the NPA, based on the investigations of the Sagay City Police
Station.
Investigations by the Sagay police also showed that SCAA
members Sonny Respondo and Alex Garcia, who were off-duty, and members of the
Regional Public Safety Battalion 18, had responded to the incident and engaged
the suspected NPA rebels in a brief firefight.
Respondo, 38, was injured, while Garcia was taken by the
rebels. Also injured during the raid was Jodito Lutrago, an agrarian reform
beneficiary and a member of the ronda patrol, Chief Inspector Eduardo Corpuz, Sagay City
Estrella said they successfully overran the detachment,
being occupied by 10 SCAA members, after five minutes of firefight. Two were
killed, while others surrendered, she added.
Señoron said the three firearms taken from Pios and Ybanez
may have been acquired by the victims, after their military services were
terminated several years ago, to protect themselves from death threats of the
NPA.
Police investigation showed that agrarian reform
beneficiaries in the barangay have formed the Aliwanay Farmers Association to
protect themselves, as the property awarded to them by the Department of
Agrarian Reform is slowly being encroached on by members of the National
Federation of Sugarcane Workers, who are also claiming to be agrarian reform
beneficiaries.
Estrella said the raid at the SCAA detachment was meant to
punish the Marañon family for allegedly maintaining armed goons.
She identified Pios, Jovito and Jonathan Lutrago, Rechie
Robles Sr. Raco Pedrano and Mario Jusayan as among those listed in the NPA
order of battle.
Estrella meanwhile said they released Garcia and SCAA Joemar
Mahilum, whom they had arrested during the raid, because they have no criminal
records.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2016/May/26/topstory5.htm
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